In what is firmly their most crucial developmental years, a return to competitive football has been a long and tedious wait for the region’s best footballers.
But now the time has come, and on Sunday the Bendigo Pioneers will get its first crack at NAB League football again since the COVID-19 pandemic when they line-up against Murray Bushrangers at Deakin Reserve.
While there has been a raft of changes since that last game - a shift to an under-19 competition the biggest - come Sunday any time away from the football field will be a distant memory as the whistle is blown, the ball thrown up and the game begins.
And leading the charge for Bendigo will be its captain, Echuca’s Jack Evans.
“It’s exciting. After 18 months, that we can get back into it,” Evans said ahead of the game.
“All the boys are very excited.”
First returning to training in mid-November, Evans said his team had come back in good nick ahead of a return to football.
“It was good to get back to some normality, and we can’t wait for Sunday,” he said.
“To the boys’ credit, everyone has come back fit and keen to strive to get to the next level in their football.”
The 19-year-old is one such player who is also working to take the next steps this year, training with Essendon’s VFL team alongside his commitments to Bendigo Pioneers and Echuca.
A VFL debut is among the list of goals for the teen, before the AFL draft looms large later in the year.
But one thing is certain for Evans, he won’t be getting ahead of himself.
“I just want to play good footy leading up to it. You don’t really want to put a name on that stuff,” he said.
Joining Evans in the Bendigo Pioneers squad this year is fellow Echuca boys Joe Guiney and Billy Barnes, along with Cohuna’s Xavier Mitchell and Rochester’s Nathan Kay.
Colbinabbin twins Cooper and Hugh Hamilton are also in the mix, along with Kyabram’s Anthony Depasquale and Leitchville-Gunbower product Jed Brereton.
“They’ve all been tracking well. It will be good to play with them, I’ve played with a few for a long time, so it's no different,” Evans said of his local counterparts.
Coming up against a regional rival in the Murray Bushrangers, Evans said the Pioneers would be striving to stake their claim on the competition early.
Head-to-head, Bendigo and Murray Bushrangers came away with a win apiece in 2019, with the margin kept to 10 points and under in both games.
It sets the stage for another scintillating contest.
“They are a good side, so if everybody plays their role and puts the team first, it will go a long way to winning,” Evans said.
“Hopefully we go out and get the win and start the season off really well.
“I think everyone will be good this year. It's a high standard of footy so it should be good fun.”
The Bendigo Pioneers and Murray Bushrangers game will start from 1pm at Deakin Reserve on Sunday, April 4.
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